Favorite Cooked Carrots!

Cranberry Orange Carrots

Handful of sliced baby carrots
1/2 orange cut into four pieces
Cranberry juice (100% fruit juice)
Olive oil
Red pepper flakes
Rosemary garlic seasoning

Heat olive oil in pan on medium heat.

Place carrots, the juice of one orange piece, and seasonings in pan. Stir occasionally.

When the carrots start to get dry, poor a couple splashes of cranberry juice in the pan.

Let cook until the carrots are soft enough for your liking.

Remove from heat and enjoy!  

Fall Is Here!

It's finally starting to feel more like fall around here! The afternoons are still hot, but no more triple digits. Praise the Lord! I can't wait for it to cool down enough to have a camp fire. I would cook dinner over a camp fire every night if I could.

In celebration of the season change, I bought pumpkin and sweet potato! I have been experimenting with them for a week or so. I made pumpkin bread, pumpkin oatmeal, sweet potato pie, pumpkin pie, sweet potato soup, and grilled sweet potato. My computer quit on me, so I haven't been able to share the recipes or photos with you. Hopefully I can get caught up in the next few days.

Saturday I made a delicious soup that I like to call, "Clean Out the Fridge Soup". I served it with homemade bread and corn.

For the soup, I started out with olive oil and onion in the pan. I let the onions cook until soft then added several spices. Next, I added a carton of chicken broth and a bunch of random items that needed to be used. Here's what I can remember, chicken, sweet potato, pumpkin, green beans, frozen mixed vegetables, beans, spinach, and garlic. Season to taste.

I served a healthier version of pumpkin pie for dessert.

What's your favorite thing about fall? 

Have You Ever Wanted to Eat a Whole Pint of Ice Cream?

I'm going to let you in on a little secret...

A delicious, satisfying dessert for only... 

109 calories

3 grams of fat 

11 grams of sugar 

3.7 grams of protein 

+

(I'm out of Arctic Zero, so I can't take a real picture for you. So sorry!) 

To make the 109 calorie dessert, I put a serving of chocolate peanut butter Arctic Zero in a bowl and crunched 2 cookies over the top.  A true "guilt free" dessert!  One time I ate an entire pint of vanilla maple.  I didn't feel bad. At all.  I only ate 150 calories! 

Vanilla maple is my favorite.  HEB has been out of it, so I had to get chocolate peanut butter during my last grocery store trip.  It's best when mixed with a topping.  The vanilla maple is so good I can eat it by itself.  The ingredients are impressive... simple and natural. 

"INGREDIENTS: PURIFIED WATER, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, ORGANIC CANE SUGAR, DUTCH PROCESSED COCOA POWDER WITH ALKALI, GUAR GUM, XANTHAM GUM, NATURAL FLAVORS, SEA SALT, ORGANIC MONK FRUIT"

This is the first time I have purchased the cookies.  They were low in calories, so I thought I would give them a try.  Will definitely be getting them again.   

Myarcticzero.com shows some flavors I haven't seen at the grocery store.  I have only been able to find vanilla maple and chocolate peanut butter.  

Have you tried any of the other Arctic Zero pints or bars?  What did you think?  Did you eat the whole pint? 

Allergy Friendly Treat!

Chocolate Cranberry Bars

Here is a recipe I created for Chocolate Cranberry Bars.  They are gluten free, dairy free, egg free, soy free, and nut free.  I made the bars food allergy friendly so my sister could enjoy them.  But, don't let that turn you away, they are still delicious!  People with no food allergies gave great feedback too.  Let me know what you think :)

Chocolate Cranberry Scones

1/4 cup coconut flour
1 cup gluten free oat flour (I ground whole oats in a food processor to make oat flour)
1/2 cup rice flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup cocoa
Pinch of salt
6 Tbsp. coconut milk
1 banana
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp. Spectrum Naturals Organic Shortening (the only soy free vegetable shortening I could find)
1/4 cup Enjoy Life Mini Chips (dairy, nut, egg, gluten, and soy free chocolate chips)
1/4 cup craisins
Extra oat flour for kneading

1. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.  Be sure to mix well so you don't get any "baking soda bites".

2. Mix wet ingredients in a separate bowl.  I used a KitchenAid.

3. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet.  This is where the KitchenAid comes in handy.  After it's mixed, add the craisins and chocolate chips.

4. Poor dough onto a floured surface.  I used a silicone mat with oat flour on top.  The dough will be slightly wet, so you have to knead the dough with the extra oat four.

5. Shape the dough into a circle and cut it like a pie.

6. Place the bars on a baking sheet and bake on 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-12 minutes.

Raw Almond Milk

A few days ago I made the mistake of reading the back of my almond milk carton. I was surprised at how many chemicals were added to give the milk a shelf life. I didn't see the point in paying extra for a healthy milk alternative to just drink a bunch of chemicals. So, I started comparing recipes and prices of almonds. I figured I could make half a gallon for under $3. Most almond milk is priced at $3-$4 per half gallon. I'm a fan of anything thats better for you and less expensive!

Raw Almond Milk
Makes about 4 cups

1 cup of raw almonds (I got them from HEB in the bulk section)
4 cups of water
3-6 dates
1tsp Vanilla extract
Cheese cloth or nut milk bag
Jar or pitcher
Blender

1. Soak almonds and dates in water for 8-10 hours (I put mine in the fridge overnight)
2. Drain and rinse almonds
3. Blend almonds and 4 cups of water in a powerful blender for about a minute

4. Poor into cheese cloth to separate the pulp from the milk (I put the pulp in the freezer and made cookies with it a few days later)

5. Place milk back into the blender and blend with dates and vanilla

6. Poor into a jar and store in the fridge for 2-3 days

Makes a great almond milk latte :)

Whipped Oatmeal

I made some delicious whipped oatmeal this morning. I'm amazed at how many different ways oatmeal can be cooked. Right when I think I have tried them all, I find a new recipe.

I loved this recipe because the oatmeal smells like cake while it's cooking!

Whipped Oatmeal
Serves 2
245 calories per serving (without toppings)

1 cup water
1 cup coconut milk (can use milk of your choice)
1 cup oats
1 large banana
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Bring the water and milk to a simmer.

Add the banana and oats.



Add the salt and vanilla while whisking.



Once the banana disappears, stop whisking, place a lid on the pan, and turn to low.

When the oats are soft, remove from heat and serve with your favorite toppings. I used almond butter, coconut, flax seed, raisins, and craisins.

Tortilla Soup

I stumbled across a tortilla soup recipe the other day, and even though it's 100 degrees outside, I gave it a shot. It ended up being super easy, quick, and so tasty. In fact, I liked it so much, I ate it three days in a row! The soup actually tasted the best the next day.

The soup recipe is from The Cooking Photographer.

The recipe calls for vegetable broth, but I used half vegetable and half chicken. Chicken broth doesn't change the flavor much, I just used it because it's what I had at the time. I also substituted the large list of spices for cumin, garlic salt, pepper, and chili seasoning. I topped my soup with cilantro and organic blue corn chips.

How Much Water Do You Need?

Ever wonder how much water your body actually needs to stay hydrated?

I have been doing some research to find an answer to that question.

Here's what I found...

You need half of your body weight, in ounces, of water per day.

Sounds simple, right? Unfortunately, it gets a little more complicated than that. Every time you drink caffeine, sweat, take a hot shower, exercise, or drink alcohol you are taking water out of your body. If you participate in any of these activities, you will need to increase your water intake for that day.

Every 8oz of coffee you drink, 80oz of water is being pulled out of your body.

Depending on the intensity of your sweat generating activity, 50-80oz of water can be lost per hour.

Example:
Weight - 150lbs
Water needs per day - 75oz
8oz of coffee consumed - negative 80oz
1 hour of exercise - negative 60oz
2 hours in the heat- negative 80oz

Actual water needs per day for 150lbs person = 295 ounces = 36.9 cups = 8.7 liters = 2.3 gallons

That's a lot of water! I find it's much easier to stay hydrated when I carry a water bottle that holds at least 1 liter.

Flourless Pancakes

As I sit here, sipping on a delicious green smoothie that I wish was bottomless, I realized that I post a lot of breakfast recipes. I promise I don't cook just breakfast foods. My schedule has been crazy lately, so my only time in the kitchen has been early mornings. I have been making a lot of quick and easy salads to bring with me to work for lunches and dinners. While on the go, I have also found a new liking for sugar snap peas (can be found fresh and pre-washed in the produce section at most grocery stores), Bumble Bars, and Go Raw bars (the bars are from abovesalt.com). I keep them around so I'm not tempted, after a long day, to grab a pastry at Starbucks or a cupcake from Gigi's Cupcakes. However, you must try Gigi's Cupcakes at least once. They are easily the best cupcakes I have ever had. I hate to admit it, but they are even better than my dark chocolate mousse filled cupcakes topped with coffee ganache. Ok, before I start craving a cupcake, here's another breakfast recipe... or dinner if you would like.

Flourless Pancakes

1 cup ground millet
1 cup ground spelt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups almond milk (can use any milk, but I thought almond milk tasted the best for this recipe)
1 beaten egg
1 Tbsp melted butter

-Mix dry ingredients in a bowl then add the milk, egg, and butter. I mixed it together in my VitaMix blender so I could easily poor the batter in the pan.
-Heat a very small amount of butter in the pan until it is nice and hot. Pancakes cook best when the pan is very hot.
-Poor some batter on the pan. The batter is thin, so you don't need much. When you see bubbles on top of the pancake, flip and let cook about a minute longer.
- Top with fresh fruit and honey

Mediterranean Omelet

This omelet is high in calories and protein, but low in fat. I ate it for breakfast on a day when I knew I would be working out hard and eating a later lunch. It kept me full and happy for a while!

Mediterranean Omelet
Serves one

3 eggs
1-2 Tbsp milk
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Fresh spinach
Onion
Garlic
Hummus
Tomato
Feta cheese

Heat olive oil in small pan. Meanwhile, whisk eggs, milk, salt, and pepper together.

When the pan is nice and hot, poor the egg mixture in and let it cook until the top is almost done. I occasionally slid my spatula under the omelet to keep it from sticking.

When the top is almost done, place the remaining ingredients on half of the omelet. Fold the omelet in half with your spatula and let it cook some more. After a few minutes, flip the omelet and let the other side cook for a few minutes. When the eggs appears to be fully cooked, remove from pan and enjoy!

Green Smoothie!

I know green smoothies sound and look nasty, but once you get over the thought of drinking green veggies, you will love them. I even crave them! Below is one of my favorite green smoothie recipes. I started out with a recipe from "Eating For Energy" by Yuri Elkaim (great book!), but altered it a bit.

Green Monkey Smoothie
Serves 1

1 banana
1 large handful fresh spinach
1 large handful fresh kale
1 small handful fresh parsley leaves
A few fresh mint leaves
1 Tbsp ground flax seed
1 Tbsp ground sesame seed
Honey or agave nectar
1-2 cups Water and/or soy or nut milk (I use half soy, half water)

Blend and enjoy!

P.S. - had to include one of my favorite kitchen appliances in the photo... Vita-Mix! I highly recommend investing in one. They are worth it.

Sweet Potato Muffins

I told you I would experiment with some sweet potato recipes... here's my first attempt. I liked how the muffins turned out, they had a good flavor, but I think they can be better. I'll give you the recipe, then after I play around with it some more, I'll post an updated recipe.

Sweet Potato Muffins
makes about 2 dozen

1 1/2 cup apple sauce
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
4 Tbsp brown sugar
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 3/4 cup white flour
4 Tbsp ground flax seed
4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp salt
8 cups of shredded raw sweet potato
1 cup of raising

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix apple sauce, eggs, vanilla, and sugar in a bowl.

Mix all dry ingredients and sweet potato in a separate bowl.

Gradually mix wet ingredients into dry. After the two are mixed, add raisins and stir.

Fill greased muffin tin with batter and cook for 30-45 minutes.

The center of the muffins never appeared to be fully cooked. I took them out after about 40-45 minutes and let them cool. Later on in they day, after they completely cooled, the muffins tasted great! Instead of an undercooked texture, they just seemed very moist.

Stuffed Portobello Mushroom

4 portobello mushrooms
1 cup Israeli couscous
1/2 chopped onion
3 chopped garlic cloves
1 cup of roughly chopped Brussels sprouts
Apple cider vinegar
Braggs amino acids
1 Tbsp Grape seed oil
Seasoning of choice
Feta cheese

Preheat oven to 375.

Cook Israeli couscous as instructed on package.

While the couscous is cooking, saute onions and garlic in grape seed oil. When the onions are almost soft, add apple cider vinegar, braggs amino acids, desired seasonings, and Brussels sprouts. Let the Brussels sprouts cook for just a few minutes, you want them to stay crispy.

Remove vegetables from heat and add cooked couscous so they can absorb some of the flavor.

Wipe mushrooms with a wet paper towel, cut off stems, and scrape brown gills out of caps. Place mushrooms on oiled baking sheet, gill-side up. Fill mushroom caps with couscous mixture and sprinkle with feta cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes.

The Beauty of Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are my favorite right now. I get so excited to eat them and practically lick my bowl clean! They satisfy my sweet tooth and provide great nutrients. Sweet potatoes are a good food for runners, especially when eaten the day before a race.

Each potato contains around 100 calories, 0 grams of fat, 24 grams of carbohydrates, 7 grams of sugar, 4 grams of fiber, and 2 grams of protein. Pretty impressive! Sweet potatoes also contain a huge amount of vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene. They contain vitamin C, potassium, iron, manganese, and copper. Manganese and copper are crucial for healthy muscle function and most runners don't get enough in their diet. Because of the potatoes high carbohydrate content, they can be used for carbon loading the day before a race. When eaten, carbohydrates are broken down into smaller sugars, one of them is glucose. The glucose that is not used right away is stored in the muscles and liver in the form of glycogen. Glycogen is what fuels the body during exercise. That is why carbon loading is important. However, too many carbs can be dangerous. When the muscles and liver stores are full, the extra glucose is stored as fat.

There are many different ways to eat sweet potatoes. I am going to share how I usually prepare my sweet potatoes in this post, then experiment with some other recipes and post about them later.

Baked Sweet Potato
Wrap the sweet in foil and bake on 350 for 1 hour or until soft
Cut down the middle and top with 1/2 chopped apple, 1 chopped date, raisins, coconut, 1 tsp of peanut butter, flax seed, and cinnamon
Eat the whole thing, and don't feel bad about it :)

Baked Salmon

Baked Fish Packet

Fresh fish fillet
Sliced squash
Broccoli florets
Chopped garlic
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh herbs (oregano, thyme, rosemary, or basil)
Onion finely chopped
Juice from lemon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut parchment paper or foil into 12in squares and fold in half to create a crease down the middle.

Place squash and broccoli to the right of the crease. Top the veggies with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Place the fillet on the veggies and top with herbs, seasoning, chopped onion, and lemon juice.

Wrap up each square to make a pouch and place on a baking sheet. Bake the pouch until the fish is fully cooked, about 20 to 30 minutes.

Recipe from Whole Foods.

Butternut Squash Stew

I found this recipe on my Whole Foods app... if you have an iPhone, this app is worth getting... it's free anyway :)

The stew was delicious, filling, and is perfect for a cold day like today! I didn't follow the recipe exactly. I'm kind of rebellious when it comes to that. The recipe below is what I did. Feel free to look up the original recipe on wholefoods.com if you want to follow it instead.


Winter Squash Stew with White Beans and Kale
(Made a very large pot. Served about 8.)

1 onion
3-5 garlic cloves
Grape seed oil
Apple cider vinegar
1 quart water
2 cups chopped kale
2 cups chopped spinach
1 pound butternut squash
2-4 cups of beans
Seasoning of your choice

Saute 1 chopped onion and 3 chopped garlic cloves in a pan with grape seed oil (grape seed oil has a higher smoke point than olive oil, so it works great when sauteing) until soft or transparent.

Add a couple splashes of apple cider vinegar and 1 quart of water, then bring to boil.

Reduce heat and add 2 cups of chopped kale, 2 cups of chopped spinach, and seasoning (I used pepper, garlic salt, red pepper flakes, and Cajun seasoning). Let simmer for about 15 minutes. I dropped a few pearl onions and whole garlic cloves in to add more flavor.

Add one prepared squash (peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 in. chunks) and 2-4 cups of precooked beans. Let simmer until squash is soft, about 15 more minutes. Season again if needed.

My Favorite Breakfast

Fresh fruit is not only a good source of natural energy but also provides vitamin C, fiber, potassium, folate, and helps stimulate your memory. It has been proven that a diet high in fruits and vegetables greatly reduces your risk of disease.

I did a little experimenting and found a delicious way to eat fruit for breakfast. I like it so much, I eat "Fruit Cereal" every morning... and I'm not sick of it yet!

"Fruit Cereal"

The base of the cereal is always the same, but I change up the protein depending on what I feel like that day or what's in the fridge.

Base: 1/2 - 1 chopped apple (I like pink lady), 1 chopped banana, and 1 chopped date.

Protein: either peanut butter, combination of seeds (hemp, chia, and flax. I use 1 Tbsp of each), or soaked oats.

Milk: either soy or almond.

Place fruit, protein, and milk in a bowl, stir, and top with cinnamon. Sometimes I sprinkle raw organic coconut flakes on the top. Don't be afraid to use a large bowl... fruit is fat free and doesn't have many calories!

*The cereal in the photo contains pomegranate seeds and cottage cheese.